Wayne McGregor has opined that his primary aspiration has been the communication of philosophical or scientific ideas through the human body. He has explored concepts through medical and computer science and his aim in “Entity” was to question the process of activity in the brain at the inception of the choreographic process and how one begins to model this intelligence in a computer. This congress of dance and technology has resulted in previous McGregor works in which the human body has taken on the forms of insect or alien life and in many ways “Entity” is no different from these other essays into this field. At its most banal level the result can look like Monty Python’s “Ministry of Funny Walks;” at its most successful like something universally eternal. It is an incontrovertible fact that the human body has its limitations when expressing intellectual notions but the fact remains that the choreographic results are frequently beautiful and never less than fascinating.

Three large, grey, horizontal screens mounted on tall armatures resembling oil pumps occupy the centre and sides of the performing area. On a small screen the moving image of a running greyhound looks like an animated Edward Muybridge photograph. The eleven dancers of Random Dance in black trunks and white singlets decorated with faint symbols execute a series of rapid walks, high leg lifts, robotic arms and angular poses in pairs and groups or as solos. The top-lighting lends opaqueness to the screens which rest on the floor, giving the appearance of solid walls. After a blackout the screens are backlit, shown to be transparent with triangular struts. The music changes from a haunting melismata of male voices to a cello solo. Six males offer duets that are thinly erotic but curiously inhuman. Outstanding in this sequence is Anh Ngoc Nguyen who moves with a silky quality that is almost deliquescent in its softness and lends his movement constant fascination. Caterina Carvalho joins the mix and the soundscape embraces sawing violins and pizzicato effects. The screens are raised and lowered; algebraic formulae, microscope images, hatched terrain in grisaille and images too obscure to comprehend are projected onto them. Four female dancers shed their tops to achieve a black bikini effect. Anh Ngoc and Jessica Wright perform a brief pas de deux that is lithe and supple. Constantly the group configurations change and morph, the stage is full of restless activity followed by stillness and calm. Geometric shapes in turquoise light appear on the stage floor and are examined by the cast with curiosity. They change and multiply until the floor is a massive abstract equation. We end with a high energy section and the running dog image. The fascinating landscape of sounds is provided by Joby Talbot and Jon Hopkins. The effects are beguiling and diverse, representing the contrasting styles of the two composers. The Navarra Quartet in the pit provides ravishment for the ear. The sets and costumes of Patrick Burnier and lighting of Lucy Carter are polished; and enhanced by Ravi Deepress’ digital video designs, although these visual features are the weakest of the constituent parts. McGregor is a choreographer who completely understands the idea of the total work of art and enhances his choreography with elements which augment his steps. His cast are well trained and express his style expertly through dislocated limbs, jagged spinal quirks and the gait of wading birds; they also contribute much of the movement material. McGregor’s work is complex, considered, disciplined and order-ed, intelligent and provoking, although not always fully satisfying choreographic-ally. The vocabulary is fascinating but does not always bear extended expo-sure in a long work. “Entity,” however, is a piece which engages the mind as much as the eye.